The end of a chapter

How do I even start to write reflectively on the last 5 years of school now that Marc is a day away from being done? There is way too much. I think I'll focus on the highlights of God's faithfulness to us through this journey, because in the end, it's all about Him. Without Him we would not be experiencing the joy that tomorrow will bring us.

* Marc and I got married on 8/5/05 and almost immediately decided that Marc should go back to school. We may have been slightly idealistic as we set out on this endeavor. We didn't know how to pay for it, how long it would take, the ups and downs we would go through, or even what Marc would study! We just knew that being obedient to God's voice in our lives meant Marc going back. So with no job lined up, he quit his job at Lowe's because it would not work around his school schedule. He started January 2006 at Kuyper College. We trusted and God was faithful.

* He almost immediately found a part time job, and a month later took a full time 2nd shift job.  Jehovah-Jireh - Our Lord Will Provide.

* We had a few problems figuring out financial aid/loans. The week before the end of the semester, Marc got a letter saying that he couldn't take exams if we hadn't paid for the semester (which we hadn't paid a dime yet!). Within a day or two, we got word that the loans had finally gone through, and the semester was paid for. God provided. Jehovah - Jireh!

* We decided to start a family. Isaac was born in January 2008. Now, he is an absolute joy, but having him presented us with a small hurdle. Who would take care of our son while I worked and Marc went to class? My parents, Marc's mom and my sister have been watching Isaac (and now Hope) faithfully every week since I went back to work. Words seriously cannot express my gratitude to them. Other family members and dear friends have also watched them as I have had events with church and other things come up. Without any of them, we would not have made it. Our God is faithful.

* Marc couldn't get any loans last year or this year. We have kinda tapped out our available funds with loans. And we had/have no extra money to spare. There was a period where we thought that after 3 1/2 years, he might not be able to finish. Then my parents offered to help us out with a loan. 1st semester covered. Then our tax return was bigger than expected. 2nd semester covered. Then we couldn't pay rent. $500 was randomly left on our garage door to help with some of it. God provided. Again. Jehovah - Jireh

* Last fall we felt overwhelmed with our schedules. We prayed and felt sure Marc was supposed to go part-time to school for that semester. God knew we would need that extra time to deal with Quimby and to grieve after our miscarriage. Our God holds our future. Our Lord is our comforter.

* This fall, we had no way to pay for school (again). Marc met with the finance person at Cornerstone and they agreed to allow us a grace period to pay for the semester and to pay it after we got our taxes back in 2011. Seriously? What University does that? Our God provided. Again. Again.

* Marc has had a fantastic cooperating teacher at an amazing school. He has loved his experience at Northpointe and would love to actually teach there if an opportunity ever arose. The school you are placed at and teacher you are put with can make or break your student teaching experience. Both have been better than we could have imagined. El-Roi. Our God who Sees.

* There's nothing like having a baby the first full week of student teaching! While we LOVE our son, he was an extremely difficult baby. We were kind of gearing up for the same experience with Hope. We were surprised when she actually slept at night and was a happy, content baby during the day. She started sleeping through the night between 2 & 3 weeks and by about 4-5 weeks was sleeping 10 hours a night. If we had another baby like Isaac, this semester would have been incredibly trying. Hope is such a peaceful and happy baby. Jehovah - Shalom. Our Lord is peace. Our Lord gave us peace.

* There have been times that Marc has been stretched beyond belief. Working full time (or more) plus going to school either part time or full time for 5 years is incredibly demanding. Marc has given up a LOT of sleep over the last 5 years. He's given up hobbies, free time, leisurely reading, time with friends, running/training like he would like to, and probably more time with us than he would like. He has rarely complained. Seriously. I can think of maybe a handful of times. That's it. I have been blessed with a husband who is determined, passionate about his calling and won't give up. Elohim. Our God is strong and mighty, and gives us strength when we need it.

* Other random things in the mix of the last 5 years includes me switching jobs, moving, becoming landlords, my dad having a heart attack, Marc having kidney stones, hosting exchange students, friends and other family helping us with money for Quimby, friends helping us demolish and rebuild the kitchen at Quimby, random gifts of clothes for Isaac left on our porch, the grace of our church with prayers and help with rent, free babysitters from a few of my youth group girls, being accepted to teach English in China and having to decide not to go, a free bed from a friend, a youth group student dying, Marc working at several different jobs, totaling a car & transmission dying in a car within a few months of eachother,and now, potty training. :)

And now we are on the brink of closing this chapter. We have been incredibly blessed throughout this journey. While it has been tremendously difficult in so many ways, it has also been rewarding. It has taught us to trust God and be obedient when it seems almost foolish, how to rely on others and ask for help, how to lower our pride to accept help, the value of education and following God's call for vocation, and utter reliance on our Savior to pull it all together and make it happen.

I wish I could repay all our family, friends and church who have supported us on this journey. A simple "thank you" just does not seem sufficient. This is a celebration for us all, and we truly would not be at this place in our lives without you all. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I love you all.

And finally, I am SO PROUD OF MY HUSBAND! I'm not sure how he has done it all. He is going to be an amazing teacher, of that I am certain. I am blessed with a godly man who follows God's direction for our family. I love you, Marc.

So, how can you read all that and not believe in God's sovereign plan, his providence, his love and his faithfulness? He is good.

Baby Pictures

Monday Morning Musings

Communion. Our high school Sunday school class (Inklings) visited COS yesterday. We've been talking about liturgy in worship and have visited a few other churches to see how liturgy is done there. Communion was done very differently there. I enjoyed it. Rather than the plates being passed, you exit your row and join a circle up front of maybe 50 or more and pass the elements to one another while saying "the body of Christ, broken for you" and "the blood of Christ, poured out for you". You pass a loaf of bread & rip off a hunk, then dip it into the cup of juice or wine. There is something very earthy about the experience of using your hands more in this sensory experience that Christ laid our for us. It is almost too polished  and pretty taking pre-cut squares of bread and pre-poured plastic cups of juice.  This way was a new experience for most of my students. The student who passed it to me asked, "what am I supposed to say??". He was a bit nervous but I think relieved that he had to pass to me and not a stranger. Anyhow, I watched one man a few people over from me rip off a HUGE hunk of bread. My first thought was that perhaps he was getting a bit hungry & needed a little snack. Perhaps he was internally longing for Christ and took off as much as he could. Maybe that's just how much came off when he pulled from the loaf. Is there an 'approved' amount you should take? It just made me take notice when I saw it.


Potty Training. It's been 11 days. We're still having more accidents than successes. For some reason he does better for me than other people. Every time he's had a sitter, he's had an accident. It makes me feel bad that others have to deal with it, and makes me feel slightly guilty that I have to work and can't do it all myself.

Marc. We have been married for 5 years and 4 months. 5 years of that has included Marc working full time and going to school at least part time, if not full time. And in 2 weeks he will be done. HOLY MOLY!  Sure, there is a lot for him to do in the next few weeks, but the end is so close I can practically taste it. It's a tad bittersweet as Marc has truly enjoyed his experience at Northpointe and is doing something to use his gifts, knowledge and training. When he's done, he goes back to his 50-60 hour a week job running a machine. I wish he could jump right into a teaching position. I know Northpointe already has him on their sub list, so hopefully that will offer him a bit of satisfaction until we find a full time position.



Transition. I feel like I'm graduating along with Marc. We are entering the phase of looking at next fall and wondering where we will be, where we will be working, if I'll be working, where we'll be living, where Isaac might go to preschool...so many questions and zero answers. It's a bit exciting, but scary at the same time. This is truly forcing me to trust God more and more. I'm such a planner and find myself in a place where I can't. I've been praying for God to prepare us and our families for moving. It has just recently occurred to me that God might keep us here. If he does, I'm going to need him to mentally prepare me for that. I'm expecting a ton of transition, and to be honest, there might not be much. Marc might find a job around here. We might still live here & I might still work at PH. It'll be interesting to see what the next few months holds for us!

11 week stats

We wondered if Hope would be big like her brother. The girl has not disappointed!

Hope is 24 3/4 inches - above 97%

12lbs 3.5oz - just over 75%

Way to go, girl!

Potty Training - Day 4

Many successes today & only 1 accident! He's really catching on to this! He's still not telling me when he needs to go, but he's able to hold it until we sit him on the potty. Small steps!

Can we fast forward?

Day 3 of potty training. I need to go out & buy more underwear for Ike. Apparently 12 pair are not nearly enough for potty training. He's doing okay, but I'd like to skip ahead to a few weeks from now when we're through the battles and numerous accidents.

I'm not sure Isaac actually is able to tell when he needs to use the potty. That's our struggle right now. I'm not sure how to help him listen to his body, except by allowing lots and lots of accidents to happen and having him realize how disgusting being in wet pants is! 

We've got a chart set up on the refridgerator where he gets a star for 1. telling an adult 2. using the potty 3. using toilet paper 4. flushing the toilet and 5. washing his hands. When he gets 5 stars, he gets a matchbox car out of a box. Don't tell Isaac that many of these cars he's already played with & has just forgotten about! :) We do have a few in there passed down from a friend, but most of them are his already.

He has been improving slightly and it's encouraging to see some small steps in the right direction. We'll see how today goes...so far 1 accident and 0 successes.

So, any tips on potty training a boy? Any advice? Any encouragement?

Sale at EcoBuns!

If you're someone who is interested in trying out cloth, there is a 15% off sale at EcoBuns in Holland on Tuesday, November 23 and Wednesday, November 24.

Even if you're not a cloth diaper person, they have all kinds of other baby items - baby carriers, wet bags (which are GREAT for the summer months with wet towels & bathing suits), mommy necklaces, babylegs, etc. I'm planning to make a trip out, so let me know if you want to join me!

Cloth DIapering 101

When I was pregnant with Isaac, cloth diapering was not something I gave a split second thought to. My sister in law had a baby just over a year after Isaac was born & she started using cloth. The diapers she had didn't seem anything like what I imagined. I was thinking all cloth diapers were the prefolds that you had to use pins on & then cover with rubber pants...

I never thought of switching Isaac over, but when I got pregnant again, I thought I'd investigate. I went to Hop Scotch Children's Store on a Saturday for a cloth diapering 'class'. They show you the variety of cloth diapers out there, talk about the pros and cons, answer questions, etc. I was convinced after going that this was for me!

So, Hope is now full time in cloth diapers, and I'm loving it! We use Bum Genius and FuzziBunz pocket diapers. They have a pocket in them to stuff an insert or prefold diaper into.

So, I have a few friends considering cloth, so here's a bit of our routine:

When we change a dirty diaper (#1 and/or #2), we pull out the insert and throw both parts into a wet bag. Right now, as Hope is exclusively breast-fed, there is no need to clean off the diapers before washing them. When we start introducing solids, we will have to rinse the diapers before washing. It shouldn't be too bad now that I bought a diaper sprayer!

Planet Wise Wet Bag

It's essentially like a kitchen sink sprayer that you attach to the toilet. Then, when you have a dirty diaper, you hold it over the toilet & spray everything off. No need to scrap it off, or dip the diaper into the toilet!

We've got about 30 diapers right now, so I truly only have to wash them 2 times per week. When the bag is full, I wash them.

My wash cycle consists of: 1 cold rinse, 1 hot wash with 1/2 the amount of Tide Original powder, 1 cold rinse.

Then we line dry the shells and throw the inserts into the dryer. When they're all dry, I sit in front of the TV and stuff all the inserts into the diapers so they're ready to go when we need them. I store them in a few baskets & on the back of her door:

So far, the negatives of cloth diapering are: 
* we've had a few leaks as I've been figuring out how tight to snap or velcro the diapers, and the BG diapers have an infant insert and a regular size insert. We realized quickly that the infant inserts don't hold a lot, so we've already moved up to the regluar ones.
* they are a big bulkier than disposables. Hope seems a big more stiff around the waist as they don't offer as much flexibility right now. I think as she gets bigger, this will be better.
* a bit more work than just throwing away a disposable, but I haven't honestly minded.
* they don't hold as much, so we have to change her diaper more often.

So far, the positives of cloth diapering are: 
* knowing that there are no chemicals on my little girls bottom (read here to learn about the chemicals in disposables)
* knowing that we're not putting additional waste into landfills
* savings! I realize our utility costs may go up with our wash cycles, but overall, we'll still be saving money by cloth diapering.  I estimate that we spend about $50 a month on diapers for Isaac. Assuming he'll be potty trained by age 3 (please!), that means that diapering him from birth - potty training will be around $1,800.
I spent about $350 on around 30 diapers, a diaper sprayer, 2 large wet bags, 2 small wet bags (for the diaper bag), and about 20 reusable wipes. So before considering utilities, I'd save $1,450. And that's for 1 child. If we use these for multiple children, the savings goes up, up, UP!

Overall, I'm very happy with our decision (and I think Marc is too!) and I'm excited to buy a few more diapers with cute patterns. :) I HIGHLY recommend cloth diapering. It's not nearly as much work as you might think and darnit, if my kid isn't cute in her little diaper!

Feel free to post any questions you may have, and I'll try to answer them!

Goals

In doing this Biggest Loser Challenge, I have decided on a few goals and I thought I'd post them as a sort of online accountability. So, here they are:

Long-term goals:
Lose 20lbs by March 1st
Run a 5k on New Years Eve
Run a 10k in spring/summer

Short term goals this month:
Lose 5lbs by December 1
Be able to run 2 miles by December 1
Start eating more fruits and vegetables

Attempt at Craftiness

Our church has a craft night - maybe monthly? I don't even know how often. Anyhow, I've always been tempted to go, but I typically have had things going on those nights, or my fear of being the only one under 50 has held me back. This month, however, the lure of making a 'fall wreath' conquered that fear, and I ventured all the way across the parking lot for my first official "Craft Night". There were mostly incredibly fake looking leaves available to add to the wreath, so I went with all the more 'natural' things, like pine cones and cattails. It's not exactly what I was dreaming of, but for my first attempt at being crafty since Calvinettes, not too bad.

Growing like a weed

Not even 48 hours old

5 weeks 5 days

She's grown! Not sure if you can see it in the pictures, but after holding her in church for over an hour, I can certainly feel it!

10/22/10

One year since my miscarriage. I thought about it a few times, but more than that, I tried to not think about it. My due date of May 17 was much more difficult than I expected, but this day went by without much thought. It's amazing how much has happened in that year, and how I have continued to see and experience God's faithfulness despite some trying situations. Last year at this time, we were grieving and dealing with a trashed rental house. Those two situations caused months and months of time, tears, sweat, money, humility, health, gratitude, and loss of sanity. This year we are celebrating Hope, Marc is 1/2 way done with student teaching and a mere 7-8 weeks away from being DONE with school!! WOW!

Found!

The private investigator has tracked Betsie to Arizona. She is safe, healthy and said she did not want to be found. The family is still trying to figure out what she's doing there, who she's with, etc, so her and her family could still use everyones prayers.

I am so grateful that this has a 'happy' ending to some extent. It could have been so much worse.

Missing

This is Betsie Kruse. She has been missing since 10/11/10. She willingly left her home (off 4 mile rd) at 5am in a white car/taxi and has not been home since. The police called her cell phone & someone called back saying it was her and saying she was okay, so the police have closed the case. BUT she has not been home or been found yet! She is 19, wheel-chair bound and needs her medication which she does not have with her. Her family has hired a private investigator and he has asked people to spread the word about Betsie, since the police and media are not covering this. Her parents are speculating an online predator might have her, but of course, they don't know anything for sure. She is a member at Sunshine church and a former youth group student of mine. Please, spread the word and pray that Betsie is safe and comes home.

For the Mommas out there!

I just entered a giveaway for an Ergo baby carrier on this blog.You should all check it out! Not only for the giveaway, but the other posts here as well! Just reading this woman's about me' section of her blog made me like her! :)

If I don't win one here, I'm asking for gift cards to EcoBuns for my birthday and Christmas so I can get one.

I have a baby bjorn which I used a bit with Isaac, but it hurt my shoulders and I just never fell in love with it. I have a maya wrap sling, but I never felt Isaac was very secure in it, and it also hurt my shoulders. I have a moby wrap now, which my sister gave me and I really like that. It does take a bit to get Hope in and out of it, but it gets easier each time I use it. But what I really want is a Ergo - I have heard amazing things about it from everyone I know who has one. And every time I see a babywearing mama in public and I think "that looks like a great baby carrier" it's always an Ergo. So, there's my plug. Hopefully I will win one and can post a review after using it! :)

Biggest Loser

My biggest loser challenge starts on Saturday! I'm really looking forward to facilitating this for this great group of women!

If you're interested, check out www.grbigloser.blogspot.com - I'm going to update it with recipes, tips on healthy living, links to great articles, etc. It's more than just for those in the challenge. I'll add it to my blogroll on the side of this blog so you can easily access it if you are interested!

10/15/10 - One Month Old!!

My little Hope Anneliese is one month old today! Each month I'm going to take a picture with her adorable white teddy bear (Thanks K.B.) to see how much she's grown.

We went to weigh her in today at the doc,and she's gained 11oz in the last 10 days, which is perfect. She is up to 9lbs 5oz - still 5oz smaller than when Isaac was born! She's eating like a champ now, and still sleeping really well. She had to have her belly button cauterized with silver nitrate today, which I wasn't expecting. Her little cord fell off at 2 weeks, but since then has still been a bit, well, gross. The doc said the healing had 'gone wild' and she will need another 2 treatments, most likely. So, we will go back on Tuesday and see how it's doing.

She's smiling already and starting to 'coo' and talk a bit - it's so cute. I love my little girl!!!

My little pumpkin

Biggest Loser Challenge

So last year around this time, I did a biggest loser challenge online with a bunch of women I didn't know. I got 2nd place :(, but it was very helpful to have some accountability and something to motivate me towards healthy living/eating.

So, I decided to start my own challenge. Here are the details. Let me know if you're interested (excluding probably most of my blog readers who are all currently pregnant! :) )
and feel free to invite your friends too! You can let people know to email me at gretchendriesenga@gmail.com if they want to join. We won't start until October 23, so that gives us over a week to recruit some more people! Feel free to post the challenge as your status, or email friends or word of mouth. People don't need to be local to GR to participate.

Biggest Loser
October 23-December 23

Each participant will pay $10 to join. The winner of the challenge will collect 75% of the pot, 2nd place will get 15% of the pot, 3rd place will get 10% of the pot. So, obviously the more people we get involved, the bigger the pot will be.

We will weigh in and record our progress every Saturday, starting on October 23 with our starting weight. If you fail to weigh in by Saturday midnight, you will owe another $1 to the pot. If you gain during the week, you will owe $1 for each pound gained (due at the end of the challenge).

I’m planning to start a blog dedicated to this challenge, so you can email me your weekly weigh in or comment on the blog. Your starting weight will not be posted, just if you gained/lost each week. The winners will be determined by overall percentage of weight loss, not merely who lost the most pounds.

I will also post articles/inspiring ideas/exercise routines/healthy recipes, etc to the blog as a way to encourage everyone & would welcome any links to things you find helpful in our journey towards health!

Just think - even if we merely do the 1-2lbs weight loss per week that is recommended, that would be anywhere from 8-16lbs by Christmas time! How exciting would it be to buy a size smaller clothes with our Christmas gift cards! :)

my sleeping beauty

Hope is an incredible sleeper. She is already mostly going through the night - at least 6-7 hours each night, and sometimes even more! I feel so incredibly blessed by that, especially since I will be starting back to work this week (part time). I'm feeling good about starting up work again. I miss the students and leaders, and I miss the work! I'm looking forward to easing in part time though, and think going back to 40+ hours a week will be tough, but I've done it before & can do it again!

Funny sidenote: I am sitting on the couch drinking coffee while typing, and I just tried to rest my coffee cup on my belly like I did when I was pregnant. Didn't work so well!

Another funny sidenote: Did anyone else notice something funny in the pic of Isaac & Hope? Look at Isaacs head - the little tiara in the background looks like it's on his head!

Quick update

* Isaac has gone to bed 3 nights without his nuk now. It actually makes me a little sad, because it's one more step of him becoming a 'big boy' instead of my little boy. :(

* Hope weighed in on Tuesday at 8lbs 10oz. Still not back up to birth weight, but she had gained 3 oz in 5 days so the doc was pleased. We have to do another weigh in next week to make sure she's continuing to gain, but she's on the right track.

* I know at least 1 person due with a baby every month through June 2011 with the exception of May. Wow - lots of babies coming. Some of them are people I have been praying for continually as they have experienced a loss or have not been able to conceive. I continue to pray for those who are waiting on the Lord in this area. As my miscarriage date rolls around (10/22), I know it will again be a reminder of many who have experienced this type of heartache and of the blessing a healthy pregnancy and baby really are.

* Marc is really enjoying student teaching at Northpointe. 2 more months folks. 2 more months.

* I start back at work on Wednesday (part time). Has it really been 4 weeks already? Wowza!!

Clara Catherine Pluister Zuidema

My dear grandmother, Clara Zuidema, passed away on Sunday, September 26. She was 95 years old and completely ready to meet her Lord and Savior.

Maybe a week or so before she died, she went into the hospital with pneumonia, which is never good, but especially when you're 95 years old. She was doing okay for a few days - still eating and getting up to walk around a bit. As the week went on, she became weaker and lost some of the spunk she was known for.

I called her on Saturday to tell her she needed to get better so that she could meet Hope. She said, "I don't know, honey, I'm in the Lords hands now". I could tell she didn't want to fight. She was tired. She was ready.

Our family went down on Sunday to see her, thinking it could be only a matter of weeks until she died, not really thinking it would be that day. On our way down, my Aunt called to tell us that she was pretty much waiting for us to get there and then they would be just making her comfortable until the end.

When we got up to her room, I went over to hug and kiss her and she almost immediately asked "Where's your baby?" I brought Hope in and we got to snap a few pictures. It was hard to understand what she was trying to tell us with the big mask on, and she was getting really frustrated. After we had some time with her, the nurses came in to take off the mask and give her some morphine - we realized it would be only a matter of hours. We were all looking forward to the mask coming off so she could finally say whatever she had been trying to tell us. At one point, she was even trying to spell something, which we still couldn't make out. Anyhow, the nurse came in and gave her morphine, which immediately knocked her out. She never woke up.

She lasted about 2 hours before taking her last breath. We sang "It is Well" as she lay with her breathing steadily slowing down. We held her hand. We talked about her life. We cried.

I am so thankful that we got to say goodbye, that she got to meet Hope and that she died very peacefully. She was a woman of faith, and while I wish I had more time with her while she was alive, I know she is in heaven with our Lord.

Day 30

Day 30
Pray that your husband will serve God and others with pure motives. Pray that he will obey the
Lord from his heart, and glorify Him in everything. (1 Cor. 10:13; John 7:17-18; Col. 3:23-24)

Up again! (and Day 29)

We went to weigh in again today, and Hope is up to 8lbs 7.5oz! She's doing great! I think it must have been the beer I drank. :) She's doing better each and every day/night with waking up to eat, although she still has 1 really long stretch during the afternoon/evening when it's seriously about impossible to get this girl up & eating. She went 6 hours today. I'm not as concerned about it after today's weigh in, as she's gaining more than that 1/2 - 1 oz/day that the docs look for. Now if we can get that 6 hour stretch to be at night & not during the day, that would be amazing!

Day 29
Pray that your husband will surrender his time and talents to the Lord. Pray that his spiritual gifts
will be manifest in his career, at church, and in your home. (Eph. 5:15-16; 1 Cor. 12:4, 7)

she's gaining!

We went to have Hope weighed in yesterday and she's up to 8lbs 4oz! Yay! We have to weigh her in again on Friday and then next week at her 2 week appointment. She did GREAT last night - she let me get some sleep and she ate well. I have energy again today!

Day 28
Pray that your husband will be a man of prayer. Pray that he will seek and pursue God in
purposeful quiet times. (1 Thess. 5:17; Luke 22:46; James 5:16)

I am looking forward to getting into more of a routine (I know it will be a while yet...) so I can be more regular in my devotional life as well. I got a new devotional book by John Piper which I am excited to start. For the last few years I have been strictly reading Scripture and some Christian books on the side, but not a real devotional book, so this will be a good change for me.

What are some of your favorite devotional books that you've gone through?

Day 27 & Doctor's orders

Day 27

Pray that your husband will understand the importance of taking care of his body—the temple ofthe Holy Spirit—for the glory of God. Pray that he will practice self-control by making wise
food choices, and get sufficient exercise to stay healthy. (Rom. 12:1-2; 1 Cor. 6:19-20, 9:27)

I took Hope to the doc today for a checkup. The large bump on her head is essentially a pocket of blood that was caused by labor/delivery. It will go away on it's own and is no cause for concern. Whew.

She does have a mild case of jaundice, but not bad enough to require anything beyond making her eat more and putting her in the daylight for a few days.

Her feeding/sleeping schedule is the biggest issue right now as she's very lazy and lethargic. She is down to 8lbs 1oz (she started at 8lbs 12oz and left the hospital at 8lbs 5oz). The doc is having me pump after each feeding to increase supply and he actually ordered me to drink 1-2 beers before coming back tomorrow to weigh her in. Apparently there is something in beer that helps increase the supply. They actually use the same ingredient in cow feed to increase their supply. So, I feel like livestock, but hey, I get to enjoy a cold Sam Adams Cherry Wheat when my hubby gets home from his class/meeting. Yippeee!!! :)

Another baby!

We are home and trying to get into a groove as a family of 4 (or more accurately, 5 with Young). Hope slept actually too well on Friday night. She wouldn't wake and wouldn't eat. She hasn't been eating well at all even though she knows how to latch on and nurse. She's just too sleepy to do it. We called the doc last night because she's starting to look a bit jaundice. He wants to see her on Monday so we'll be waking up on time to call and get an appointment.

She also has a 'bubble' on the back of her head. I don't know how else to describe it except that it feels like a very large blister. I'm anxious to find out what that might be as well.

Overall, we're doing well and feeling good. It's worlds different than after having Isaac. God certainly answered my prayers about having a baby who can nurse. I was so anxious we'd have problems again, and while we have a few minor adjustments, we're feeling very blessed.

So, in other family news, my sister in law had a baby on Saturday morning! I was due Sept 3 and she was due Oct 2. We joked about having our kids in the same week as she was early for her last baby and I was late. Lo and behold, same thing happened and our children are less than 3 days apart! What a big week for our family!

Day 26

Day 26
Pray that your husband will discover and live his God-given purpose. Pray that he will offer all
his dreams to the Lord, and pursue only those goals that will bring God glory and count for
eternity. (Jer. 29:11; 1 Cor. 10:31)

Day 24 & 25 - catching up!

Day 24
Pray that your husband will have a balanced life—that he will balance work and play. Pray that
he will fear God, but also gain favor with people he knows at work and church. (Luke 2:52;
Prov. 13:15)

Day 25
Pray that your husband will be courageous in his stand against evil and injustice, and that he will
stand for the truth. Pray that he will protect you and your family from Satan’s attacks. (Ps.
31:24; Eph. 6:13; Ps. 27:14)

Her name

So a few people have asked us how we decided on Hope's name. I have had a list of about 3 or 4 girl names that I've always liked and have since before Isaac was even born. We had a list with those names, a few others Marc added and then a few that I added after going through a name book. Probably a day or two after finding out it was a girl, we started going through the list & crossing off ones that one or both of us no longer liked. We got to 'Hope' (which Marc had originally suggested and I thought was a great middle name, but wasn't convinced) and for some reason it just felt right. Neither of us wanted to take it off, and from that point on, no other name was so perfect for our little girl.

We played around with a few middle names and I decided that I would somehow like Hope to have a part of my name included in her name. My middle name is Anne, but we thought Hope Anne was too short. So began another long list of all the names we could think of that included either 'Anne' or 'Anna'. We came across Anneliese and thus her name was complete!

And, just in case you're wondering, it is pronounced Anne - eliese, not On -a- liese. :)

Hope Anneliese Driesenga

Our daughter was born on Wednesday, September 15 at 10:12pm. She weighed in at 8lbs 12oz and 21 1/2 inches long. She has a head full of dark wavy hair. For some reason I can't upload pics, so those might have to wait until we're home. Or go check out Marc's facebook.

Around 6:00pm on Wednesday (to follow up my last post) the doc came in and said I had progressed and we would maybe start pitocin soon. As we were standing there talking about what was next, my water broke on it's own! Wow - I am so glad that happened in the hospital and not while walking around Meijer or something like that! Anyhow, my contractions got a lot more intense and regular - about every 2 minutes and lasted for 60-70 seconds each. They watched my contractions and decided I didn't need pitocin at all! I was SO relieved at that. I had been dreading pitocin and had actually been praying my entire pregnancy that I wouldn't need it. God answered...a bit late in the game...but he answered!

I finally gave in and got an epidural around 7:30/7:45pm. Marc told me later that he was surprised I gave in at that point because he felt I was doing so well and dealing well with the contractions. As much as I would like to have gone without, I am glad for the availability of pain meds and happy with my decision to get an epidural.

We called our family and many of them came up around 9 or 9:30pm. We thought that maybe we'd have a baby by midnight, so we didn't tell them to rush at all. I was fully dilated before most of them got there, but my doc wanted me to labor down (allow her head to come down more) a bit before pushing. When my family was in the room, one of them asked me how dilated I was and I told them I'm ready to go & feel like this child could almost fall out. So, with that, they all left the room, the nurse came in and about 5 mintues later I was pushing. It took maybe 10 minutes and 4 contractions and Hope Anneliese was here!

I cannot believe what a difference this experience has been than with Isaac. I am in a better place both physically and emotionally this time and feel so blessed with her arrival.

So far, we think she looks a bit like me - round face, dark & wavy hair (which was me when I was born) but she's just over 24 hours old right now.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers & encouragement as we've been waiting.

I'll get lots of pictures up when we get home and I have my own computer!

5:30pm

I'm now at a 4 with contractions about 2 minutes apart & somewhat painful. We're waiting to get official orders from the doc, but the nurse was just in to get set up to start pitocin. Things are starting to move!

Oh, and I lost in Boggle to Marc by 3 points and I'm still very hungry. And we know these halls pretty well after doing laps for quite a while earlier.

Sept 15th - 3:00pm

We're still waiting for something exciting to happen. The overnight cervadil didn't do anything, so we're on to a new med, hoping that it will help me dilate to a point where I can start pitocin. I should be getting checked again in an hour to find out. We're hoping this med does some good. For now, Marc and I are about to either watch a movie or play a riveting game of scrabble. :) Oh, and a little sidenote: I'm REALLY hungry. :(

Day 23 & Hospital update

Day 23
Pray that your husband will be a good father - disciplining his children wisely and loving them unconditionally. If he is not a father, pray that he will find a young man to mentor in the things of the Lord. (Eph 6:4, Col 3:21, 2 Tim 2:1-2)

Again, it's funny how these prayers align with our lives. Today, we will (hopefully) be having our second child and the prayer today is for Marc to be a good father. It has been such a joy to watch Marc over the last almost 3 years as he has been a father to Isaac. Every time I see him interacting with Isaac, wrestling on the floor, reading books, putting him to bed, taking him to the demolition derby :), it makes me just fall in love more.

In about an hour I'll get 'unhooked' from all the monitors and such and get to take a shower before we start the pitocin. With Isaac, we started pitocin at 11am, the doc broke my water at 2pm, labored until 8:30pm and finally gave in for an epidural, started pushing at 1am and Isaac was born at 4am. I'm REALLY hoping this goes a bit quicker!!!

Uneventful Evening

It's almost midnight & Marc and I are both reading here in the hospital. We got here just after 8pm and had to go through loads of questions, medical forms, signing papers, etc. They started a medication to help get my body ready (cervadal for those who are interested). That has to be in my system for about 12 hours, so nothing more will probably happen until maybe 10 or 11am Wednesday. In the morning they will check my progression and most likely start the pitocin.

For now, I'm rocking the sweet hospital gown and nice little socks with the grips on them :), reading my first Jodi Picoult book (Plain Truth) and am craving ice cream which I cannot have.

It was strange to not put Isaac to bed tonight and to not have him around. I already miss him. I know he is in good hands at my parents house, but there is that little bit of guilt I have associated with him having to from here on out "share" me with his new sibling.

I think it's time to call the nurse & get that Ambien... Nighty night!

Day 22 - Praying for your Husband

Day 22
Pray that your husband will practice forgiveness in your relationship and with others. Pray that
he will recognize any roots of bitterness, and yield any resentment and unforgiving attitudes to
the Lord. (Eph. 4:32; Heb. 12:15)

Day 21 & Induction!!

Day 21
Pray that your husband will learn how to relax in the Lord and, in his greatest times of stress,
find joy and peace in his relationship with God. Pray that he will submit his schedule to the Lord.
(Neh. 8:10; Prov. 17:22; Ps. 16:11)

Wow - seriously? As we are about to start FMLA tomorrow for Marc, the prayer is about his schedule. Ahhh. What a reminder. We have been very frustrated with Marc's work. He has submitted the paperwork, submitted a formal letter and a proposed work schedule to his boss weeks ago. He STILL has not heard anything 'official' about his work schedule. He went in today to talk to his boss (after calling and never hearing back) and sounds like his boss is planning on everything that Marc wrote out, but he just never told him so. I'm not sure how people function like that. It drives me crazy. So, I need to also be reminded to pray for both of our schedules as we bring baby home and transition into life with 2 kids.

And speaking of kids - we are headed to the hospital Tuesday evening at 8pm to start being induced. It was a little frustrating today because the doc said I am only 1-2cm dilated when the doc last week said 2-3cm. I brought up my first ultra sound (which I have brought up before but no one has thought it was significant enough to write down) which put my due date at 9/9. My due date of 9/3 was based on my cycle, which was still messed up from my miscarriage, so I didn't quite trust that date all along, but the docs all went with it. Anyhow, she looked at that US and my 19 week one, which gave me a due date of 9/6. So, overall, I'm probably only 4-7 days past due instead of 10, but my doc feels as though we should induce anyhow.

I'm anxious about it as labor and delivery with Isaac was induced and was quite an ordeal. I'm praying it is quicker and smoother and that we don't have the issues afterward that we did with him.

Please pray for all of us in the next few days!!

Day 20 - Praying for your husband

Day 20
Pray that your husband will yield his mind and thoughts to the Lord. Pray that he will not
entertain immoral or impure thoughts, and that he will resist the temptation to indulge in
pornography. (Prov. 27:12; 2 Cor. 10:5)

Again this is one of those topics that is still a bit taboo within Christianity. No-one wants to ever admit this is or has been an issue. It's a real temptation for both men and women, and none of us are immune to Satan using this as a way to tempt and ruin relationships. We must all continually have our guard up against his schemes, and admit when we fail.

I have had students both at Plymouth and when I was at Sunshine confess their addiction and/or viewing of pornography. Both guys and girls and as young as 6th grade. This is an issue that I think we all need a little more insight into - especially parents. Of course we want to assume the best of your children, but we also need to be realistic about natural sexual curiosity and the easy access to porn.

As a parent of a very young boy, it's not something that's on my radar quite yet with him, but I realize it will need to be addressed and discussed at an early but appropriate age.I already pray constantly for Isaac's purity and for him to be free from sexual sin. It's hard to think of my little boy succumbing to those temptations as he grows up, but I also realize that prayer is one tool I have to help prevent that. And so I pray over him often. I also pray for his wife and her purity as well.

Day 19

Day 19
Pray that your husband will be patient and a man of peace. Pray that he will not give in to anger,
but will allow the Holy Spirit to control his responses. (Rom. 14:19; Ps. 34:14)

haha - praying for patience when I'm 8 days overdue...how appropriate.

Day 18 - Praying for your Husband

Day 18
Pray that your husband will have an eternal perspective—living in light of eternity. Pray that he
will reject materialism and temporal values and put God first in his life. (Matt. 6:33; Deut. 6:5;
Eph. 5:16; Ps. 90:12)

Day 17 - Prayers for strength

Day 17
Pray that your husband will enjoy his manliness as he patterns his life after Christ and strong
men in the faith. Pray for his physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual strength. (Eph.
3:16; 1 Peter 2:21; 1 Cor. 10:11)

Shoot, I'm certainly praying this for both of us today! I'm needing all the strength I can get after finding out my doc won't induce til next week! I'm 6 days over right now and we are just continuing to wait. I have another non-stress test on Monday at 11am followed by a doc visit. I'll see my doc who delivered Isaac on Monday, and I'm seriously hoping that she says, "follow me - we'll walk across the street to the hospital & get things started right now". :) I've been praying all pregnancy to not be induced, so I'm still truly hoping that this little one will decide to come on his/her own this weekend, but I'm getting mentally prepared for an induction at the same time.

Please pray for us as we wait!

Day 16 - Praying for your husband

Day 16
Pray that your husband will choose healthy, God-honoring activities. Pray that he will not live in
bondage to any questionable habits or hobbies, but that he will experience freedom in holiness as
he yields to the Spirit’s control. (1 Cor. 6:12, 10:31; 2 Tim. 2:4)

Waiting & Day 15

Day 15
Pray that your husband will choose his friends wisely. Pray that God will bring him men who
will encourage his accountability before God, and will not lead him into sin. (Prov. 13:20; Prov.
27:17)

I am really looking forward to when Marc has time for friends. We have such limited time together as a family, which leaves Marc about zero time for any friends. I know this is an area he is missing out on because of work/school, but only 4 more months!

And in baby news: Still waiting. I'm 2-3cm and everything is looking good & ready to go. Just waiting for some strong contractions to move things along. I have a non-stress test on Thursday to make sure baby is still doing fine and then another appointment to figure things out from there. My doc didn't even mention induction today, which was somewhat okay with me. I know we'll talk about it Thursday, but I really am hoping little one decides to come before then.

Happy 30th & Day 14

Day 14
Pray that your husband will speak words that build you and your family, and reflect a heart of
love. Pray that he will not use filthy language. (Prov. 18:21; Eph. 4:29)

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband!! He has finally joined me in the land of the 30's! Ha! We hadn't really planned anything to do today, as we were REALLY hoping to either have a newborn or to be in the hospital. Not sure either of those will be true today, so I'm trying to think of something to do that is cheap, not too high-energy, and easy to do with a 2 year old. Hmmm.

We did celebrate a bit with family on Saturday and on Sunday, and I did already make a bittersweet chocolate bunt cake from scratch, so hopefully I'm not a completely slacker wife.

Marc & Isaac just took off to run a few errands and give me some alone time. I think when they return I'm going to try to imitate a Wolfgangs menu item that I love. I don't recall they're crazy name for it, but essentially it's banana bread french toast with banana's and peanut butter on top. We'll see how that turns out!

And in the baby department, I'm overdue, uncomfortable and very ready to meet this little one. I have an appointment tomorrow morning at 8:30 so we'll see what the doc says. My guess is that they'll schedule a US and Non-stress test for tomorrow or Wednesday and maybe induce next weekend. I had a dream last night that they did an US and changed my due date to October 8!!! There was a lot of crying and screaming in my dream. I'll keep you all posted!

Day 13 - Praying for your Husband

Day 13
Pray that your husband use practical skills to build your family and make wise decisions for your
welfare. Pray that he will serve unselfishly. (Gal. 5:13; Phil. 2:3-4)

Day 12 - Praying for your husband

Day 12
Pray that your husband will yield his sexual drive to the Lord and practice self control. Pray that
your sexual intimacy together will be fresh, positive, and a reflection of selfless love. (Prov.
5:15, 18; 1 Cor. 7:3; Song of Solomon 7:10)

Day 11 - Praying for your Husband

Day 11
Pray that your husband will have a humble, teachable spirit and a servant’s heart before the Lord.
Pray that he will listen to God and desire to do His will. (Prov. 15:33; Eph. 6:6)

I'm 1/3 of the way through 30 days of praying for Marc. It has truly been an encouraging habit for me to get into practicing. I have found that I'm praying more not only for Marc, but for others as well. I love having a clear direction of what to pray for my husband each day. And I think putting it it on my blog daily has been a strange, technological accountability.

I hope others are taking on this challenge as well. If so, leave a comment of how this experience has been for you!

Day 10 - Praying for your Husband

Day 10
Pray that your husband will cultivate strong integrity, and not compromise his convictions. Pray
that his testimony will be genuine, that he will be honest in his business dealings, and will never
do anything that he needs to hide from others. (Prov. 20:7; 1 Tim. 1:5, 3:7; Eph. 6:10-12)

Day 9 - Praying for your Husband

Day 9
Pray that your husband handle finances wisely, will have discernment concerning budgeting and
investments, and will be a good steward of his money in regard to giving to the Lord’s work.
Pray that money will not become a source of discord in your family. (Prov. 23:4-5; Rom. 12:13;
Heb. 13:5)

It's getting a little creepy how these prayers are correlating with our lives right now. We are going back to the envelope system today. In fact, I just texted Marc about an hour ago to remind him that we both need to 'turn in' our debit cards and start using the cash in our envelopes. With Marc cutting back with working as soon as baby is born, we're trying to be super strict with our budgeting and finances so we can make ends meet. So yup, praying for our finances and wisdom and God's provision today!

Cloth Diaper Giveaway

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Holland-MI/EcoBuns/133432171386?ref=ts

The cloth diaper store in Holland, Michigan is giving away a $50 gift certificate for reaching 500 facebook fans. Find them on facebookand post what you would use the money for on the original giveaway status to enter. You do not have to live in/near West Michigan to enter. Drawing will be Friday at 4:30pm.

Happy posting!

Day 8 - Praying for your Husband

Day 8
Pray that your husband will work hard to provide for your family, to the best of his ability. Pray
that the character qualities necessary for a successful career and ministry will be a growing part
of his character – persistence, decisiveness, strength, an analytical mind, organizational skills,
positive relationships with people, determination, etc. (Rom. 12:11; 1 Cor. 15:58)

As I'm praying this morning for Marc, he is at his teacher orientation meeting at Northpointe for his semester of student teaching. He got home & in bed shortly after 3am and was up at 6:30am to head to this meeting. He will come home, change and head back to work. :( I'm hoping his meeting ends a bit early so he can sneak in a nap.

Marc is certainly a hard worker. He started going back to school about 4 months after we got married and has been going to school AND working full time for almost 5 years straight. And honestly in those 5 years, I have probably heard him complain about it maybe 5 times. He is so determined and ambitious and I truly admire his work ethic. To top it off, he still finds time to help me with things around the house.

Both of us have obviously had to make sacrifices for him to be in school, but I truly believe for him to use his gifts and passions in his work are so important. It is worth the chaos of the last 5 years to have Marc in a career he is excited about.

4 more months, folks!

Day 7 - Praying for your Husband

Day 7
Pray that your husband will safeguard his heart against inappropriate relationships with the
opposite sex. Pray that his heart will be pure and undivided in his commitment to you. (Prov.
6:23-24, 26; Rom. 13:14)

This is a prayer that's a bit hard to talk about sometimes. We like to think that as Christians we are somehow safeguarded against this type of temptation. I think all of us can think of at least a handful of Christians who have been somehow affected by affairs or other types of sexual sin. There is no magic Christian bubble around us to keep Satan from using these types of temptations to ruin relationships. It is so important to pray this prayer for ourselves and our spouses.

Day 6 - Praying for your Husband

Day 6
Pray that your husband will love righteousness and hate wickedness, especially the evils of the
culture. Pray that he will recognize and avoid wickedness in his own life, and if necessary, take a
clear, strong stand against evil. (Prov. 27:12; John 17:15; 1 Cor. 10:12-13)

Today is a fun day. I got to teach Children's Worship this morning with 6 little ones and we read the stories of Samson and Daniel & the Lions Den (one just wasn't enough for these kids!). One of the little boys prayed and included me and my baby in the prayer. Precious!

I just got back from spending some quality time with my sister in laws, and we are soon headed to my father in laws for dinner & to let the kids play in the little pool. Getting in some good family time before our little guy/gal decides to come.

Speaking of which, I'm 39 weeks and 3 days pregnant. Aye. I have another appointment tomorrow so we'll see if anything is promising there. I'm expecting I'll still be pregnant a week from now, but time will tell. Yesterday we rearranged our bedroom to accomodate the bassinet and a glider and we've got baby's room pretty much set. My bathrooms are still dirty, there is laundry to do and toys to be picked up, but overall we are ready.

Anytime now, anytime.

Day 5 - Praying for your Husband

Day 5
Pray that your husband will be faithful to his wedding vows. Pray that he will have a desire to
cultivate your relationship as a sign of his loyalty and commitment to you, and as a picture of
Christ’s love for the Church. (Prov. 20:6; Gen. 2:24)

Day 4 - Praying for your Husband

Day 4
Pray that your husband will grow in leadership skills in your relationship—protecting and
providing for you. Pray that he will lead you wisely and love you sacrificially, so that God will
be glorified in your marriage. (Eph. 5:25-29; Col. 3:19)

Day 3 - Praying for your husband

Day 3
Pray that your husband will be humble and quick to agree with God about his sin. Pray that his
heart will be tender toward the voice of the Lord. (Ps. 51:2-4; Micah 6:8)

A little side note - I need to be praying these for myself as well. I'm not always quick to admit my sin or repent of it. I'm not always quick to ask forgiveness. I want to be an example in these areas to my husband and to my children (both biological, exchange and youth group) I don't want my pride to stand in my way of this.

Another little side note - Josiah Walcott is headed to Germany today to go minister to middle & high school students on a military base. Obviously youth ministry is near & dear to my heart, so I ask you to pray for him as he begins his ministry with Club Beyond! For those of you who don't know him, Josiah has been a volunteer leader at our church for the last few years and part of my Tuesday night Biggest Loser parties. :)

Day 2 - Praying for your husband

Day 2
Pray that your husband’s relationship with God and His Word will bear fruit in his life. Pray that
he will be a man of wisdom and understanding, fearing the Lord. (Prov. 3:7, 9:10; Ps. 112:1)

A Prayer for Women

A Prayer for Women by Pastor John Piper

My earnest challenge and prayer for you is . . .

. . . That all of your life—in whatever calling—be devoted to the glory of God.

. . . That the promises of Christ be trusted so fully that peace and joy and strength fill your soul to overflowing.

. . . That this fullness of God overflow in daily acts of love so that people might see your good deeds and give glory to your Father in Heaven.

. . . That you be women of the Book, who love and study and obey the Bible in every area of its teaching; that meditation on biblical truth be the source of hope and faith; that you continue to grow in understanding through all the chapters of your life, never thinking that study and growth are only for others.

. . . That you be women of prayer, so that the Word of God will be opened to you, and so the power of faith and holiness will descend upon you; that your spiritual influence may increase at home and at church and in the world.

. . . That you be women who have a deep grasp of the sovereign grace of God which undergirds all these spiritual processes; and that you be deep thinkers about the doctrines of grace, and even deeper lovers of these things.

. . . That you be totally committed to ministry, whatever your specific calling; that you not fritter away your time on soaps or women’s magazines or unimportant hobbies or shopping; that you redeem the time for Christ and his Kingdom.

. . . That, if you are single, you exploit your singleness to the full in devotion to God (the way Jesus and Paul and Mary Slessor and Amy Carmichael did) and not be paralyzed by the desire to be married.

. . . That, if you are married, you creatively and intelligently and sincerely support the leadership of your husband as deeply as obedience to Christ will allow; that you encourage him in his God-appointed role as head; that you influence him spiritually primarily through your fearless tranquility and holiness and prayer.

. . . That, if you have children, you accept responsibility with your husband (or alone if necessary) to raise up children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord—children who hope in the triumph of God—sharing with your husband the teaching and discipline they need, and giving them the special attention they crave from you, as well as that special nurturing touch and care that you alone are fitted to give.

. . . That you not assume that secular employment is a greater challenge or a better use of your life than the countless opportunities of service and witness in the home, the neighborhood, the community, the church, and the world; that you not only pose the question: career or full-time homemaker?, but that you ask just as seriously: full-time career or freedom for ministry? That you ask: Which would be greater for the Kingdom—to work for someone who tells you what to do to make his or her business prosper, or to be God’s free agent dreaming your own dream about how your time and your home and your creativity could make God’s business prosper? And that in all this you make your choices not on the basis of secular trends or upward lifestyle expectations, but on the basis of what will strengthen the faith of the family and advance the cause of Christ.

. . . That you step back and (with your husband, if you are married) plan the various forms of your life’s ministry in chapters. Chapters are divided by various things—age, strength, singleness, marriage, employment, children at home, children in college, grandchildren, retirement, etc. No chapter has all the joys. Finite life is a series of tradeoffs. Finding God’s will, and living for the glory of Christ to the full in every chapter is what makes it a success, not whether it reads like somebody else’s chapter or whether it has in it what only another chapter will bring.

. . . That you develop a wartime mentality and lifestyle; that you never forget that life is short, that billions of people hang in the balance of heaven and hell every day, that the love of money is spiritual suicide, that the goals of upward mobility (nicer clothes, cars, houses, vacations, food, hobbies) are a poor and dangerous substitute for the goals of living for Christ with all your might and maximizing your joy in ministry to people’s needs.

. . . That in all your relationships with men (not just in marriage) you seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in applying the biblical vision of manhood and womanhood; that you develop a style and demeanor that does justice to the unique role God has given to man to feel responsible for gracious leadership in relation to women—a leadership which involves elements of protection and provision and a pattern of initiative; that you think creatively and with cultural sensitivity (just as he must do) in shaping the style and setting the tone of your interaction with men.

. . . That you see the biblical guidelines for what is appropriate and inappropriate for men and women not as arbitrary constraints on freedom, but as wise and gracious prescriptions for how to discover the true freedom of God’s ideal of complementarity; that you not measure your potential by the few roles withheld, but by the countless roles offered; that you look to the loving God of Scripture and dream about the possibilities of your service to him. (For a detailed list of service possibilities, see the pdf titled, Opportunities for Ministry.)

Excerpted from Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism by Pastor John Piper. (Crossway Books. Used with permission.)

Prayer

I have been convicted that I do not pray enough. Not that there is some magical number of minutes or hours a day that you need to be in prayer, but I know I've been slacking. I have been faced with situations which have required prayer which have led me to the realization I should have been praying long before things got to this point. For example, every year I have leader positions that need to be filled for various ministries at church. I always bring it up at staff prayers and pray about it when I remember, but it's not down-on-my-knees, desperate prayers for the right people type of prayers. Well, now I'm in a situation where most of the high school youth group is guys, and I only have 1 guy leader. Leads me to my knees - again, where I should have been long ago anyhow- but now I'm getting desperate and realizing my huge need that only the Lord can fill.

I also realize I don't pray for my husband and children like I want to. Marc and I were doing well this summer spending some time together in devotions and prayer, but then his schedule got switched and we are back to ships passing in the night/morning. Unfortunately, I have not taken up praying FOR him like I should. I just googled 'praying for your husband' and found 31 days of prayers for your husband. I'm going to post these daily as a way to remind myself to do so, and invite those of you who read & have husbands to join me in 31 days of praying for our spouses.

Praying for Your Husband
“She does him good….” Proverbs 31:12a

Bless your husband by praying for him!
The Apostle Paul instructed all Christians to pray for one another (Ephesians 6:18). This
includes wives’ responsibility and privilege to pray for their husbands. Earnest prayer for your
husband is good for him, for you and the spiritual health of your home (Proverbs 31:11-12).
Satan desires to destroy your husband, especially his character and his leadership in your
relationship. Trust God through prayer as you daily surrender your husband and marriage to the Lord’s wise, loving care.

Day 1
Pray that your husband will grow spiritually and consider his accountability before the Lord.
Pray that he will guard his heart by developing spiritual disciplines—Bible reading and study,
prayer, meditation, scripture memorization, etc. (2 Peter 3:18; Prov. 4:23)

I will also be posting a prayer by John Piper that I find so fitting and encouraging tonight. There are so many parts of it that make me want to become charismatic & shout "Amen! Preach it!". :)

thoughts on a monday evening

* Isaac got a haircut today - he looks like such a big boy!

* the doc told me today that "I'm hiding a lot of baby in there" and that, just like Isaac, this baby is going to be "well-nourished". Yikes.

* 11 days til D-day. I'm guessing more like 15-17 though.

* I worked on the themes for both Lifeline & Breakaway today & I'm SOOO excited for this year of youth group. It's been stressful to have to get everything done about 3 weeks earlier than typical, but it's all coming together. Now if only I could find a few more male high school leaders.

* We are only getting 1 exchange student this year; Young. He moves in September 1st. Our other student's father decided he did not want his son living in a home with another Korean student. He assumed (most likely correctly) that his son would not improve his English as much if he had the option to speak Korean at home. So all that moving around of the beds, bedrooms, buying mattress pads, etc was really all for nothing. And all that stress about deciding to have 1 or 2 - unnecessary. It always works out in the end, but why are exchange student organizations SO incredibly disorganized and hectic?

* Anxious for the activities of the next few weeks to begin:
August 29: wedding dress shopping w/ SIL & get together with some family
August 31: Nephew Levi's 5th bday
Sept 1: Young moves in
Sept 3: Due date
Sept 4: Labor day party at the SIL & BIL's house
Sept 6: Marc's 30th bday & labor day
Sept 7: Marc starts student teaching
Sept 10: SIL, Jen's bday
Sept 13: Nephew Noah's 8th bday
Oct 2: SIL due with their baby!

WOWZA!!! Lots going on and ALL good things! Lots to celebrate in the next month or so! (not that any of you needed my full schedule, it's more for me!)

* Isaac's new favorite saying is "God made you special, and he loves you very much!". I just melt when he says it.

* We have figured out that Marc is going to take FLMA for 12 weeks after baby is born. He will be taking a reduced schedule of 30 hours a week while student teaching to give him more time with baby & family (and lesson plans and sleep). It's certainly not ideal to have him working at all, but unfortunately a necessity. While I know this semester is going to be a bit chaotic, I am also so grateful for the true 'light at the end of the educational tunnel' for Marc, and I know we will get through it. Remember, you're all invited to the party when all is said & done!

37 weeks

As I sat on the couch last night, timing contractions that were about 4-5 minutes apart for about 2.5 hours, I started realizing that I could really have this baby any day now. Holy smokes, people. This is happening for real, and soon! I knew it wasn't true labor, so I wasn't freaking out at all, but it kinda put my motivation in overdrive. I've got so much to do before this little one makes an appearance. Mostly with work and recruiting enough leaders and getting everything planned for the fall kickoff. And it kind of sucks when most of the church is on vacation & at cottages and doesn't get back to me for WEEKS on end.

Sorry for that little vent.

I also have a large 'to do' list for home which feels never ending. Some nights I get a few things crossed off, and others these poor little swollen feet can take no more and I have to sit and relax. It will all happen, and if it doesn't, it's not the end of the world. I just need to remind myself of that when the basement baseboards are not cleaned and I have heaps of laundry left undone. I'm going to try to choose sanity over stress in these next few weeks. Wish me luck, or better yet, pray for me!

5 years

A week ago today was our 5 year anniversary. It was a typical Thursday for us, unfortunately and we didn't have time to celebrate. Although Marc brought home some McD's fries & a flurry because that was the ONLY thing that sounded remotely good to me. :) Oh and he threw in a pair of diamond earrings as well. WHAT?!?! I don't know how he pulled that one off, but whew, I was blown away. They are simple and elegant and beautiful. Just the thing to make a bloated & swollen 36+ week pregnant woman feel beautiful again.

Sunday, however, we were able to go out and celebrate. Kerri came over to watch Isaac and we headed to Roses for dinner. We sat out on the patio, enjoying the fresh air and lovely view. We spent our time eating and talking and just enjoying real time together. We walked over to the park next door and spread out a blanket and I gave him the wedding scrapbook I've been working on for the last month. It's not done yet, but it's a start to honor the memories from that beautiful day. We've done nothing with our photos and I thought after 5 years it was time! We'll see how long it takes me to finish it!

As part of our wedding scrapbook, I included the typed up message that our pastor gave during our ceremony. We have kind of made a tradition of each anniversary reading through the Scripture and message and reflecting on the mystery of marriage and the mystery of Christ and the church. It is always such a blessing and challenge to remember that our marriage is bigger than just us - it is a living, breathing witness of Christs relationship to his church. We also read our vows to each other again. Doesn't it sound romantic? It was...despite the millions of bugs swarming around us and the high school/college kids who decided to stop right by us as we were reading & be loud and annoying. :)

We reflected on the past five years and talked about what we thought our lives would look like compared to what they do look like. MUCH different than either of us had planned. God sure does like to exhibit his sovereignty in our marriage and I am so glad of that. It certainly has not been an easy or smooth road following where we feel God is leading, but I wouldn't have it any other way, or with any other man.

I love you, Marc. Happy 5 year anniversary!

For those who wonder how...

This is how to properly fold a fitted sheet, according to Martha. I saw it on her show - the only time I've ever watched it, and was amazed. It was years ago, and I finally got smart enough to look it up on her website. That's what cleaning out the linen closets because you're nesting will do to you!

http://http://www.marthastewart.com/article/how-to-fold-a-fitted-sheet

Is it wrong?

We got a call today from our Quimby tennants. The carbon monoxide detector was going off. They had vacated the house and were wondering what to do. Turns out it was just a problem with the detector, but before I knew that, AND I knew they had left the house, AND I had called the appropriate authorities, is it wrong that I secretly hoped that something would explode leaving the house in ruins?

Crock Pot Recipes

I have decided that during the school year, my goal is to make easy crock-pot meals on Sundays when things are a bit chaotic. I appreciate sitting down for a full meal with my family on Sunday afternoons, as we aren't able to during the week. I love crock-pot cooking & am hoping to do more of it this year, but need some recipes! I have about 3 recipes I've tried in my crock-pot and that's it.

Can you send me your favorites? Or send me a link to some good ones?

One of many

This summer has been full of changes for us. This is the first summer since we've been married in which Marc has not been working full time + taking classes. Sure, he's still working 50ish hours a week, but he's free during his days to be with Isaac! What a blessing!

We are getting used to not having the boys around, although in 8 weeks that will be another change as we welcome back Young & welcome Seong into our home.

We will be adding to our family in 8 short weeks, and wow, I can't even imagine all the changes that will bring for all of us!

The one we have finally accomplished is moving Isaac into his new room, including a new, big-boy bed! He slept in there for the first time last night and did great! He also took a fantastic nap today and both times stayed in his bed until I went to get him. We'll see how long that lasts!

Now on to getting rid of the pacifier during naps/nighttime. Any tips?

Cloth Diaper Giveaway

Check out this link for a cloth diaper giveaway contest!

lifeofamodernmom.blogspot.com

The store she reviews, EcoBuns is in Holland, MI. I'm excited to head out there some weekend and stock up on a few things I need yet.

Also, if you go to Plymouth Heights, the owner of the store, Kellie, is Stacey VanKlompenbergs sister in law!

Teaching the cross

So Isaac found a little cross in his new bedroom tonight. He started playing with it & I told him it was not a toy. He asked what it was, so I told him 'a cross'. Then I told him that Jesus died on the cross because He loves us. Isaac responded with an 'Awww, I love you Jesus' and gave the cross a kiss.

I know he doesn't understand really what it's all about, but it was still a precious moment. I am looking forward to the joy and responsibility of teaching Isaac more about the cross and gospel truthes as he gets older. What a blessing to pass along my faith to my children!

a few of my favorite things...

It's been a while since I've shared my new favorite things, so here you go!

* Almond milk with cranberry crunch cereal. Really cereal in general is one of my favorite things this pregnancy, but adding the almond milk just puts it at the top of my list!

* homemade strawberry jam. I got a jar today from a student at church. Yummy!

* the farmers market. I love not only buying local and supporting our farmers, but also just the atmosphere of the market. I enjoy the experience of going and deciding what to get week to week.

* pedicures. I have one coming with a gift card I got for mothers day and I am so excited about it. Bending over to do it myself is just about out of the question these days.

* garage sales. I think it might be an official addiction. When I see a sign, it's as if my van has a mind of it's own and just starts veering in the direction of the sale...I need one of those "I brake for garage sale" bumper stickers to warn people following me!

* decluttering, organizing, selling. I am in full nesting mode, ladies & gentlemen. Let me at those closets, drawers and well, entire rooms! I MUST organize. It's almost as bad as the garage sale obsession. And watch out craigslist, soon you will be saturated with posts from me! Anyone needing a couch, tea table, love seat, coffee table or winter jackets? Wish I would've thought about selling all this BEFORE I had a garage sale! I think someone is buying our desk tomorrow, so that's a start!

* My husband, my son & my baby! I don't know if it's hormones or what, but wow, I am SO in love with them all I could burst. I have literally gotten teary putting Isaac to bed just telling him how much I love him. I feel like I should be on a Lifetime movie or something.

* uninterrupted sleep. It rarely happens anymore, but when it does. WOW.

* one-on-one 'dates' with my students. These are my favorite part of my job. I just started mentoring a girl for profession of faith. What should've taken about 1 hour took 2.5. We were on a roll talking about a huge spectrum of faith related topics. I look forward to the summer when I get to do a lot of this.

* speaking of summer schedules, one of my favorite things right now is relaxed Sundays. I love being able to actually go to church with my family and not have to be there early. I love having a relaxing afternoon where I can sneak in a nap. I love nothing in the evenings when I can truly rest and spend time with my family. Ahhh sabbath!

And there you have it, folks. My favorites.